Kelly Dixon

Smart and Yummy Lunch Ideas

“I’m totally going to do this when school starts! I love this idea! Kiddos pick the number of servings shown on the front from each bin. So much more fun than making sandwiches every day!

Bin 1 – popcorn or veggie straws (I’ll mix it up with what they call “junk food”)
Bin 2 – goldfish, rice and ritz crackers (again, I’ll mix them up but they don’t have to have the same thing everyday)
Bin 3 – fruit to go and fruit & veggie source bars
Bin 4 – fruit cups and apple sauces (will do fresh fruit most often, but good back up and with 3 kids liking all different fruit, this is my compromise)
Bin 5 – cheese strings, Babybell cheese an yogurt tubes. Again will mix it up with Yoplait drinks and diced regular cheeses I have)
Bin 6 – Meat & veggies. The hardest one as all three kids are not big meat eaters! Here I have turkey lunchmeat rolled up, turkey Pepperettes (Costco) and carrots or cucs from our garden! I will do hard boiled eggs or leftover diced chicken breasts from supper too!
Bin 7 – will be granola bars, banana muffins or cookies!
This is all trial and error but the kids were so excited to pick what they wanted and told them I was open to suggestions!

Wish there were more study, reusable containers. I hate to be responsible for the kids throwing away so much in a year! Will keep looking to adapt your idea to something that is sustainable for the kids’ future!
XO

I’ve purchases containers that have compartments to do my own lunchables, you have to look around, but you can find them. Depending on what I put in them I will also use muffin tin liners to separate items within a food storage container. hope that helps!

You can cut your own cheese instead of buying cubes or rectangles.
We make DIY lunchables by. adding meat and olives and pickles to silicone muffin cups in a gladware square container. The bread is Hawaiian rolls (2) sliced. To make sliders. We make a snack mix and divide into snack bags, gogurt, protein or granola bar, and the fruit snacks. And we do jello with fruit. Hates fruit only way he’ll eat it unless in pie. Capri sun and extra napkins. Snack in the top of the box and we are good.